CONYERS DOESN’T QUALIFY FOR BALLOT – Terry survives primary scare …

CONYERS, NEXT DEAN OF THE HOUSE, DOESN’T QUALIFY FOR BALLOT — Marlon A. Walker and Kathleen Gray report for the Detroit Free-Press: “The fate of U.S. Rep. John Conyers’ re-election campaign now lies with the Secretary of State’s Office after Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett announced Tuesday the longtime congressman won’t appear on the Aug. 5 primary ballot after a majority of signatures turned in to certify him for a 26th term were invalidated. Conyers plans to file an appeal with the state office, and has three days to do so. The office then will review the work done by Wayne County, said Chris Thomas, director of elections for the state. A decision won’t come until some time next week, he said. …

– “Conyers also could be headed down the same path as Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who waged a write-in campaign in last summer’s primary, eventually prevailing over Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon in the general election. …Conyers, who late last week tapped state Sen. Bert Johnson, D-Highland Park, to run his campaign, has until June 6 to get on the ballot. Johnson said Tuesday that the campaign planned to fight the ruling on several fronts, including an appeal to the Secretary of State and filing a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the requirement that petition circulators be registered voters. …

– “Steve Israel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said the committee supports Conyers in his re-election effort and has faith that things will work in the congressman’s favor. ‘I have every confidence that when this long process is complete, Representative Conyers will continue to serve the people of Michigan in Congress. As the next dean of the House, the Michigan delegation and pillar of the Democratic Party, Representative Conyers will remain one of the most respected voices in Congress.’” http://on.freep.com/1sszbQq

2014 ELECTION

NEBRASKA: LEE TERRY SURVIVES PRIMARY SCARE – “U.S. Rep. Lee Terry survived a surprisingly strong challenge from businessman Dan Frei in Tuesday’s 2nd District Republican primary,” Maggie O’Brien writes for the Omaha World-Herald. “Terry, who is seeking his ninth term, collected about 53 percent of the vote in the two-man GOP race. Frei did better than Terry’s challengers in the past two primaries. … Terry will face State Sen. Brad Ashford, a Democrat, in the Nov. 4 general election. Ashford beat Elkhorn-area landscaper Mark Aupperle in a race that wasn’t close.” http://bit.ly/1jfiIzr

– TEA PARTY-BACKED SASSE CRUISES IN PRIMARY – Tarini Parti reports for the hometown paper: “Ben Sasse won the Republican Senate primary in Nebraska on Tuesday, handing conservative groups a victory in year that isn’t otherwise looking too promising for tea party candidates. Sasse, the former Bush administration official, received roughly half of the vote, according to an Associated Press vote tally with 92 percent of precincts reporting. Omaha banker Sid Dinsdale, who had picked up last-minute momentum, received 22 percent of the vote and former state treasurer Shane Osborn received 21 percent. Sasse will likely succeed retiring Sen. Mike Johanns, whose seat is considered safe for Republicans in the general election. Powerful conservative groups like Club for Growth and 60 Plus Association poured millions into the race in the weeks leading up to the primary …” http://politi.co/1gDaxXW

REMEMBERING ART WONG – Many thanks to my colleagues Lauren French, Seung Min Kim and Burgess Everett for filling in at the Huddle desk while I was back in California spending time with my father, Art Wong. He passed away surrounded by his family on May 5 after a 12-year battle with brain cancer. He was 65. Dad wasn’t politically powerful or famous, but he worked hard, devoted himself to his family and was a pillar of his community in Palo Alto. His was also the story of the American Dream: He was a Chinese immigrant who owned a small business – an Italian pizza parlor, no less – in the heart of Silicon Valley.

My family was touched by the beautiful flowers from the Politico family, as well as all the cards, emails, tweets and Facebook messages that poured in from colleagues, competitors, staffers and friends in recent days. Dad’s obit in the San Jose Mercury News:http://bit.ly/1j76UJqPalo Alto Weekly:http://bit.ly/1qCknTC

WHAT DEMS LIKE ABOUT THE BENGHAZI PANEL: TREY GOWDY – Kate Nocera writes for BuzzFeed: “Democrats have harshly criticized the Benghazi select committee, calling it a political sideshow and questioning Republican motives behind the effort. But what some key Democrats aren’t questioning is the man who will lead the committee, Rep. Trey Gowdy. While Gowdy is decidedly partisan and one of the most vocal critics of the Obama administration regarding its response to Benghazi, he has built up an enormous amount of goodwill among some of his Democratic colleagues, particularly those he’s worked with on the Judiciary and Oversight committees. On the record and in private, Democrats praise Gowdy as fair and forthright. ‘I would look at Mr. Gowdy as the one honest broker in this whole circus,’ said Rep. Lacy Clay, a Democrat who serves with Gowdy on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. ‘That’s probably why, with Gowdy at the helm, we would need full participation — because we would be heard and we would be able to defend some of the allegations that would arise.’” http://bzfd.it/RN7Ehz

THE SENATE VOTED 96-3 to advance a tax-extenders package that would renew $85 billion of individual and business tax breaks for two years. “The bill includes tax breaks for auto race tracks, wind energy, multinational corporations, Hollywood, school teachers, Puerto Rican rum producers, college tuition and more,” according to Reuters. More procedural votes are expected later today. http://reut.rs/1le2CmA

McCONNELL ENLISTS HIS WIFE – Jason Horowitz writes on A1 of the New York Times: “Those who have encountered Ms. [Elaine] Chao describe her as an unapologetically ambitious operator with an expansive network, a short fuse, and a seemingly inexhaustible drive to get to the top and stay there. Those characteristics helped lift Ms. Chao from her childhood as a Chinese immigrant who could not speak English to the heights of the George W. Bush administration, and they are coming in handy again now that her husband, the highest-ranking Republican in the Senate, confronts a re-election fight that could render him the Senate majority leader or a retiree. Ms. Chao, who played an early role in her husband’s effort to neutralize a primary challenger he seems likely to dispatch next week, will be more crucial than ever as he turns to face a well-funded female candidate for the first time in his Senate career.

– “The McConnell campaign said that Ms. Chao, 61, would be a key surrogate in ads and at speaking events, especially if his Democratic opponent, Alison Lundergan Grimes, ‘runs a campaign that tries to paint a picture of Mitch McConnell as having some kind of a blind spot for women’s issues,’ said Josh Holmes, Mr. McConnell’s former chief of staff and a senior adviser. ‘Obviously we have a pretty strong firsthand testimonial from somebody who can speak to how untrue that is.’” http://nyti.ms/1lxLdac

ROMNEY, SENATE GOP CLASH OVER MINIMUM WAGE – Burgess Everett and Seung Min Kim have the story for POLITICO: “Mitt Romney says Republicans should hike the minimum wage. But the 2012 presidential contender has run into a formidable stumbling block — Republicans on Capitol Hill. Senate Republicans of nearly all stripes are opposed to raising the hourly minimum wage to $10.10 as Democrats demand, despite polling showing large majorities supporting the issue. And recent public calls for a smaller increase by a trio of 2012 contenders — Romney, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and ex-Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania — have done nothing to make them budge. ‘It’s their opinion,’ said Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, who believes the minimum wage isn’t a federal issue. ‘It’s easy on the outside to sit and say: ‘Well, if you did this, it wouldn’t be a campaign issue.’’” http://politi.co/1jsmNKP

‘WE RUN RACES LIKE WE’RE ALWAYS 10 POINTS DOWN’ – In the latest ‘Open Mike,’ Mike Allen talks with Liesl Hickey, NRCC Exec. Director on what worries her, the ‘Brad Pitt’ of the Republican Party and the Nationals’ Bryce Harper: http://politi.co/1nrkEDN.

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, May 14, 2014, and welcome to The Huddle, your play-by-play preview of all the action on Capitol Hill. Send tips, suggestions, comments, complaints and corrections to swong@politico.com. If you don’t already, please follow me on Twitter @scottwongDC.

TODAY IN CONGRESS – The House is not in session this week. The Senate meets at 9:30 a.m. and at 11:15 a.m. will hold cloture votes on several nominations: Steven Logan, John Tuchi and Diane Humetewa to be U.S. District Judges for the District of Arizona; Roy Williams to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development; Carlos Moreno to be Ambassador to Belize. More votes could follow at 5:15 p.m. The Senate is then expected to hold a procedural vote on a tax extenders bill.

AROUND THE HILL – Sen. John Cornynspeaks on the consequences of foreign policy indecision at 8:30 a.m. at AEI, 1150 17th St NW. Sen. Tim Kaine discusses reforming the 1973 War Powers Resolution at 9 a.m. at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Media should RSVP to aschwartz@csis.org. Sens. Kelly Ayotte, John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Johnny Isakson support the effort to prevent the premature divestment of the A-10, at 11:30 a.m. in SVC-214.

WE REGRET THE ERROR – Yesterday’s Huddle incorrectly stated that Sen. Harry Reid was pushing for a vote on legislation that would ban abortions after 20 weeks. Sens. Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham actually held a news conference pushing for a vote.

OBAMA: SMALL WINDOW FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM –Seung Min Kim reports for POLITICO: “President Barack Obama laid down a deadline for immigration reform on Tuesday, saying House Republicans have two or three months to start acting on an overhaul before midterm election politics take over. As he met with more than 40 law enforcement officials, Obama pressed the case that Congress has a ‘very narrow window’ to complete immigration reform this year. He accused a ‘handful’ of House GOP lawmakers of stalling reform but added that a number of Republicans are ‘realizing that blocking immigration reform is not a good idea.’ ‘The closer we get to the midterm elections, the harder it is to get things done around here … it’s just very hard right before an election,’ Obama said Tuesday. ‘So we’ve got maybe a window of two, three months to get the ball rolling in the House of Representatives.’” http://politi.co/1mXqbkH

AFRICA’S MOST NOTORIOUS TERRORIST – Drew Hinshaw reports on A1 of the WSJ: “When he appeared in a video on Monday boasting of more than 200 abducted schoolgirls, Boko Haram’s leader took the occasion to egg on the U.S. Army and get in a dig at ancient Egypt. ‘We don’t fear any American troops,’ shouted Abubakar Shekau, whose Islamist insurgency has terrorized northern Nigeria and recently drawn search-and-rescue advisers from the U.S. and other countries. … Bombastic and bellicose, Mr. Shekau has shown a boundless appetite for celebrity. He has sought to achieve it through mass murder and most notably through the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls in April from a boarding school in northern Nigeria. By boasting–and laughing–about these deeds on video, often with an AK-47 slung over his shoulder, Mr. Shekau has attained the distinction that has long eluded him: Africa’s most notorious terrorist.” http://on.wsj.com/1nNliMA

NOW LIVE:Pro Cybersecurity – A new coverage area from POLITICO Pro dedicated to delivering the latest cybersecurity news and regulatory developments. Did you know that data breaches cost U.S. organizations $6 million a year on average? Stay up to date on what’s being done about it with Pro Cybersecurity. Know what the #ProsKnow by emailing us at Hud.Info@politicopro.com.

ALSO OUT TODAY: POLITICO’s newest series Beyond the NSA, launching in conjunction with Pro Cybersecurity, examines the unchecked expansion of private sector data collection and the implications for consumer privacy. Think the NSA is only unregulated organization? Think again. Don’t miss the first must-read story on the failed efforts to regulate how the private sector collects, uses and sells data: http://politi.co/1jfeqIi.

ELECTION RESULTS CONTINUED …

WEST VIRGINIA: IT’S TENNANT VS. CAPITO – “Democrat Natalie Tennant wasted no time attacking her Republican opponent, Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, after each easily won their respective party primary contests,” the AP reports. Tennant cast the contest as a battle between big money politics and blue-collar grit. ‘I view this race as a clear choice between the Washington politics and Wall Street dollars that Congresswoman Capito represents, and the West Virginia values and working families that I represent,’ Tennant said Tuesday night, forecasting what could be a bruising bout to be West Virginia’s first female senator. Capito, the favorite to win November’s general election, criticized Tennant’s tone. …

– “There are nearly twice as many registered Democrats as Republicans in West Virginia, and the state hasn’t elected a GOP Senator since the 1950s. But Capito is the favorite to win the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller, thanks in large part to President Barack Obama’s unpopularity in coal country.” http://bit.ly/1nNeNt0

– DEMOCRATIC REP. NICK RAHALL will face state Sen. Evan Jenkins, a Republican, in the Nov. 4 general election for West Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District. http://bit.ly/1mUAjPC

NORTH CAROLINA: ‘AMERICAN IDOL’ AIKEN TO TAKE ON ELLMERS – David Zucchino reports for the L.A. Times: “Less than 24 hours after his opponent’s sudden death, former “American Idol” runner-up Clay Aiken eked out a Democratic congressional primary victory in North Carolina on Tuesday. His 390-vote margin was large enough to avoid a runoff, which became moot Monday when former state Commerce Secretary Keith Crisco died in a fall at his home in Asheboro, N.C. Crisco, 71, had planned to concede to Aiken on Tuesday, according to his longtime friend and Democratic political consultant, Brad Crone of Raleigh. Aiken, 35, a singer, actor and former special education teacher, faces an uphill battle against an entrenched Republican incumbent, U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers, in the 2nd Congressional District, which lies primarily south and west of Raleigh. The district was redrawn by the state Legislature’s Republican majority as a GOP stronghold.” http://lat.ms/1nKZOju

WIZARDS ESCAPE ELIMINATION –The AP: “The Wizards were tired of getting shoved around in the Eastern Conference semifinals. So on Tuesday night, Marcin Gortat and his teammates pushed back hard. Gortat delivered the best playoff game of his career, 31 points and 16 rebounds, and John Wall scored a playoff-best 27 points as Washington routed the Indiana Pacers 102-79 to cut the Eastern Conference semifinals deficit to 3-2. … The Wizards made a stunning turnaround after losing three straight, two on their home court in incredibly demoralizing fashion. Washington scored a franchise-low 63 points in Game 3 and then blew a 19-point, second-half lead in Game 4. Washington refused to let it happen again this time, earning a trip home for Game 6 on Thursday.” http://es.pn/1jfc0tk

TUESDAY’S TRIVIA WINNER – Mark Gorman was first to correctly answer that Mae Ella Nolan of California was the first woman to chair a standing committee in the House. She led the Committee on Expenditures in the Post Office Department.

TODAY’S TRIVIA – Mark Gorman, a policy analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute, offers a history question today: On May 14, 1904, the Olympic Games were held in the United States for the first time, in St. Louis, Missouri. What famous expedition began from just outside of St. Louis on the same date, exactly a century earlier? First person to send the correct answer to swong@politico.com gets a mention in tomorrow’s Huddle.

GET HUDDLE emailed to your Blackberry, iPhone or other mobile device each morning. Just enter your email address where it says “Sign Up.” http://www.politico.com/huddle/

** At Raytheon, we’re on a mission to solve customer challenges in the most innovative and effective ways. www.raytheon.com **